Keiris' New Hybrid Tail

[Keiris]

Thanks Riiarin! Today I am concentrating on the body of the tail. I am adding some light stripes and some spots to the pre-screened scales on the fabric. I had to stuff the body of the tail to make sure everything lines up the way that I want. Once that is all dry, I will flip it and do the back. I want the sides to be a bit darker so will concentrate more pigment on the sides of the tail and layer as I go so the fabric stays flexible.

The silicone fins have been cast and as I said before, I am keeping them simple and small to not pull on the spandex.

[PearlieMae]

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE!

[AquaStella]

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE!

Right?!? I'm salivating over here for more pics, more descriptions. Keep it coming Keiris!!!

[MermaidAine]

Ahhhh can't wait to see more!


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[Keiris]

Thanks Pearlie, AquaStella and Aine!

After the light stripes and spots dried on the body of the tail, I coated the whole thing with a thin layer of silicone like Seavanna tried with her EcoTail (?). I mixed a little PearlEx into it to give it a light shimmer and dusted it with some turquoise, lime and aqua glitter. It does give it a very shiny wet look but I imagine it will dull a bit over time. Since this is primarily for the pool, who cares? If you apply the silicone too thickly, it will become cloudy. You DO have to be conscious of runs which is why I believe Seavanna wanted to use a flat form in the future. I was aware of the possibility and took precautions so there were no runs in the cured tail.

Here I am anchoring the cut down dorsal fins in place before putting more silicone to cure over the seam. For my silicone tails I use fishing line. This time I just went with heavy duty thread knowing it will have silicone over it to help protect it.

[Theobromine]

This is looking great! I really can't wait to see more pictures!

[Mermaid Olivia!]

So sparkly!!!! I love the color!!!

[PearlieMae]

So very cool!

Yeah, the first time silicone stretches, it fractures that glossy coat ever so slightly and loses a little shine. But hey! You'll be in the water! And out of the water, you'll look so amazing, no one will notice a slight lack of gloss

[Keiris]

Just painting some detail on the fins. I also added two small pelvic fins cut down from the original cast. Both fluke halves are cast so attaching them comes next.

[Calizaire]

Wowzers, I love the colors! Looks great!!

[Keiris]

Wowzers, I love the colors! Looks great!!

Thanks Calizaire! I am adding some bright small coppery spots in places 'cause I like the contrast with the teals and hopefully it ties some of my skin color into the tail. I tend to get pretty tan in the summer from swimming at the beach a lot. Adding some purple to it too.

[Merman Lir]

what kind of fabric did you end up using? I'm working on starting a hybrid tail (silicone over painted fabric like yours) for another mer. (silicone is out of our budget but we have gigs to fill)... I have some left over neoprene, but am concerned it will be too bulky. I'm likewise concerned that spandex would be too light/flimsy. ... also what kind of paint do you prefer. (sorry if that's too many questions!)

[Keiris]

Hi Lir! I have seen some BEAUTIFUL painted neoprene tails on here that did not look bulky at all! Hannah uses it exclusively as a base for all of the sequin tails she creates and you can see in ALL of her pictures and videos that she looks slender head to fluke.
As far as paint goes, I use PearlEx pigments and very watered down acrylic paints so the fabric doesn't get stiff or thwart the silicone from curing. You can also mix an additive to acrylic paint to make it more flexible for fabric. I just used very thin layers to build up the color. This is just some sort of lycra/spandex swimsuit material which is why I have kept the paint very thin as well as the silicone overlay. If this combination is successful I may consider selling them as a less expensive "realistic" tail to full silicone. Hope that helps, Chris.

[Mermaid Alaria]

This is amazing to watch unfold! Following...

[Arella]

Looks great!

[Daylee]

Love the colors and design. It looks stunning!

[Mermaid Alea]

Those fins are so cool looking!

[Keiris]

Thank you, Alaria, Arella, Alea and Daylee!

Today I am attaching both haves of the silicone fluke (unpainted) to the monofin and the body of the tail. I have trimmed the cast down to fit this tail and make it more streamline. Next up...more painting!

[Elodea the Mermaid]

Thank you, Alaria, Arella, Alea and Daylee!

Today I am attaching both haves of the silicone fluke (unpainted) to the monofin and the body of the tail. I have trimmed the cast down to fit this tail and make it more streamline. Next up...more painting!

WOW! Looks like full silicone to me!

[PaolaMF]

FINTASTIC !!!